No! Noh! Know!
by: Bob Berns
June 16, 2026
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
What is the meaning of this title? Is the author apoplectic? Is it a homophonic distress signal? Negatory. In this case, it’s a theatrical attempt to get your attention in hopes of passing on a little knowledge of the Almighty.
A prayer of sorts, my hope is similar to that of Edward Mote’s when in 1834, he penned these words:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Perhaps Edward Motes was inspired by Psalm 121 when he wrote the above words. Psalm 121 begins, I look up to the mountains - does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! (Psalm 121:1-2, New Living Translation).
Ruminating on these two verses, I first think to look outside of myself for a solution. I ponder being a shepherd seeking protection for my flock, or a king for a people. Certainly, mountains offer some advantages but food and water aren’t among them, especially in 1000 B.C. Verse 1 gets me to aim high, but verse 2 points me highest, an audience with God. This truth cuts between my soul and spirit: Our rock is God. Our help comes from God- our everlasting rock. When we get His audience, He comes to our rescue.
I think of the Lord as He is teaching the disciples to pray. He begins, “Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”(Matthew 6:9,10, NLT). Jesus immediately points the disciples (and us) to the highest audience. Psalm 121 similarly points us to seek help from the highest audience of all. When we seek the highest audience of all, surrendering our will to the everlasting rock, He sends the help we need.
The Lord is everywhere with all authority and knowledge available for dialogue. We must recognize His sovereignty and His holiness: the sacrifice of our Savior and His Lordship, and the authority, power and teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit to gain full benefit. Our Father is interested and invested in us. Are we interested in Him on His terms? If our earthly fathers can sniff us out when we’re angling towards something while pretending intimate fellowship, how much more our omniscient Heavenly Father?
One day, as a new believer, I was faced with an ordinary choice: which of seven beverages would I like with my dinner? It seems silly now, but I deferred to be last to order so I could try out a new Proverb I had learned: Trust in the Lord with all your heart: do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take(Proverbs 3:5-6).So I prayed, “Lord, which one?” To my surprise, the Lord responded, “Ask for water.” “But Lord,” I pleaded, “that was not one of the choices.” He had nothing more to say. I asked for water, please and thank you. I learned that God cares, even over small details. When we learn to seek His audience, and trust Him with what may seem insignificant we are better prepared to trust Him with weightier matters of the heart, after all, He is our rock.
I am reminded of the time, I was asked to write a short play for Black History Month about the life of Dr. George Washington Carver. Chief among the things I learned was that Dr. Carver applied Proverbs 3:5-6 to his own life daily. (Proverbs 3:3-6 is in the spirit of seeking the highest audience of all…of making God the rock upon which our decisions are founded as opposed to walking in our faulty thinking.) Though Dr. Carver is more famously known as a researcher, inventor, and educator in agricultural science, to me he is a hero of the faith. He wrote, "One day I went into my laboratory and said, “Dear Mr. Creator, please tell me what the universe was made for.” God answered, “You want to know too much for that little mind of yours. Ask something more your size, little man.” Then I asked, “Please, Mr. Creator, tell me what man was made for.” Again God replied, “You are still asking too much.” So then I asked, “Please Mr. Creator, will you tell me why the peanut was made?” “That’s better,” God answered, “What do you want to know about the peanut?”
Carver rolled up his sleeves and went to work. Leaning into the wisdom of God he eventually developed over 300 derivative products from peanuts. Carver gave supernatural credit to God quite naturally, which was a real bugaboo for the scientific community even then. Yet Carver repeatedly admitted, unless God drew back the curtain of his understanding, he wouldn’t have been successful.
Dr. Carver’s research, backed by The Coalition of Peanut Growers, found its way to Washington D.C. and seated before the House Ways and Means Committee. On January 21st, 1921, he was testifying before the Committee of the peanuts’ potential to improve the economy of the Southeastern United States. During the hearing, he was asked by the chairman, “Dr. Carver, how did you learn all these things?” Carver replied, “From an old book.” The chairman asked, “What book?” When George said, “The Bible.” The chairman retorted, “Does the Bible talk about peanuts?” George’s response, “No sir, but it tells about the God who made the peanut. I asked Him to show me what to do with the peanut and He did.”
Dr. George Washington Carver learned that God was His rock. He sought the highest audience by putting God first in his studies, among his colleagues, and on a national stage because he knew none higher, and he did so unashamedly. The question is: Do we?
Prayer
Read Matthew 5-7; Pray when applicable
Worship: When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
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The Lord is everywhere with all authority and knowledge available for dialogue. We must recognize His sovereignty and His holiness: the sacrifice of our Savior and His Lordship, and the authority, power and teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit to gain full benefit. Our Father is interested and invested in us. Are we interested in Him on His terms?